Invalid-bed.



F. D. BARNES.

' 'INVALIID BED.

APPLICATION min MAY 11. ms.

Patented Jan. 14,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

M AM F. D. BARNES. INVALID BED.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. 1918.

Patented J an. 14, 1919 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.Z' r1 VE'I'I far A f fur/15g FREDERICK D. BARNES, OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

INVALID-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14,1919.

Application filed May 17, 1918. Serial No. 235,051.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK D. BARNES,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county of Hillsboro and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Invalid- Beds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those beds provided for hospitals, infirmaries and the like institutions, which have yielding mattress frames that may be adjusted to various positions for supporting the patients or invalids in the most comfortable or necessary positions.

The object of this invention is to so construct such a bed that with but little mechanism, which is arranged in an unobtrusive manner, the patient or invalid may with but little effort be quickly changed into a favor able or desirable position.

This object is attained by forming the mattress supporting frame in hinged sections, and-connecting the different sections from beneath with simple mechanism attached low down to the foot of the bed frame in such manner that the sections of the mattress frame may be kept horizontal or independently lowered or raised to different desired angles with relation to the bed frame.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a plan of a bed that embodies the invention. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section of the same on line 22 on Fig. l, difierent positions to which the sectional mattress frame may be adjusted being indicated by dotted outline. Fig. 3 is a section showing the relations of the operating cables and drums, the section being taken on line 3-3 on Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view looking toward the foot of the bed.

The bed frame, preferably of metal, is built in a common manner with head posts 1, foot posts 2, side bars 3 and end bars 4.

The rectangular head section 5 of the mattress supporting frame is hinged at its foot end to the head end of the rectangular middle section 6, and the foot end of the middle section is pivoted to the side bars 3 of the bed frame. The free end of the head section is provided with outwardly projecting lugs 7 that when this section is horizontal rest in sockets 8 in the side bars of the bed frame near the head. The foot section is divided longitudinally and each rectangular frame 9 of this section is hinged at its head end to the foot end of the middle section.

These sectional mattress frames may be provided with any common type of a yield ing wire mattress 10 and the middle section desirably has a bed-pan opening 11.

Projecting downward on each side from near the hinged end of the head section is a post 12. Cables 13 run from the lower ends of these posts over pulleys 14: and along the inside of the side bars of the bed frame to drums 15 mounted on a shaft 16 that we tends across the foot and is supported by brackets 17 attached to the foot posts. On this shaft is a worm wheel 18 and meshing with the worm wheel is a worm 19, the outer end of the arbor of which is shaped for the application of a crank 20. By turning this worm the head section may be inclined at any desired angle to the middle section to which it is hinged.

Projecting downward on each side from near the head end of the middle section is a post 21. Cables 22 are run from the lower ends of these posts over pulleys 23 and along the inside of the side frames to drums 24: mounted on a shaft 25 that extends across the foot and is supported by the brackets 17 On this shaft is a worm wheel 26 meshing with which is a worm 27 that is adapted to be rotated ,by the crank 20. By turning this worm the head end of the middle section may be raised or lowered to any desired inclination, and this also of course carries the foot end of the headsection.

Projecting downward from each foot section is a post 28. A cable 29 is run from each of these posts around a pulley 30 to a drum 31 These drums are attached to shafts 32 supported by the brackets and they carry worm wheels 33 in mesh with worms 34 that are adapted to be rotated by the crank. By turning these worms the foot sections may be inclined to any desired angle.

The operating mechanisms for adjusting the mattress sections are simple and small and can be mounted inconspicuously at the foot of the bed, and the connections from the operating mechanisms to the several sections pass beneath the bed where they are out of the way and can not be seen by one occupying the bed.

By turning one worm and worm wheel the head end of the middle section may be raised or lowered, carrying with it the foot end of the head section. By turning another worm and worm wheel the head section may be inclined with relation to the middle section, and by turning either of the other worms and worm wheels the foot sections may be inclined with relation to the middle section. As the worm wheels can not turn the worms the various sections are always locked in positions whether horizontal or inclined without the addition of other mechanism.

The invention claimed is:

A bed frame comprising head and foot posts and side and end bars, a mattress frame consisting of a foot section and a middle section hinged together and at the joint between them pivotally connected with the side bars of the bed frame and a head section with its foot end hinged to the middle section and its head end loosely supported upon the side bars of the bed frame,

a post projecting downward on each side from near the foot end of the head section, a post projecting downward on each side from near the head end of the middle section a post projecting downward on each side from near the middle of the foot section, brackets fastened to the foot posts of the bed frame and extending away from the foot longitudinally with relation to the bed frame, drums mounted on the brackets substantially in line with the side bars, cables extending over pulleys mounted on the side bars of the bed frame,.f-rom the ends of the several posts to the several drums, worm wheels supported by the brackets and connected with the drums, worms meshingv with the several worm wheels, and means for rotating the worms.

FREDERICK D. BARNES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

